Karagöz

from the second part (tesbih 15) of Fatumeh.

Karagöz

The shadow on the wall of fabric Always your neighbour Your neighbour’s worries about herself her sagging breasts, her aged sex The shadow on the picture, one more yourself, alone as young -At the door of the guesthouse Someone stands raising and lowering his lamp I see my shadow Shorten, lengthen Or broken up by the branches of the trees.

Karagöz is one of the lead characters of the traditional Turkish shadow play (the other being Hacivat). The central theme of the plays is the contrasting interaction between the two main characters. Hacivat continually attempts to "domesticate” Karagöz, without much progress.

Karagöz plays are structured in four parts, and this structure is also the "form" of this piece:

Mukaddime: Introduction. Hacivat sings a semai (different at each performance), recites a prayer, and indicates that he is looking for his friend Karagöz who enters from the opposite side. Muhavere: dialogue between Karagöz and Hacivat Fasil: main plot Bitiş: Conclusion, always a short argument between Karagöz and Hacivat, always ending with Hacivat yelling at Karagöz.